Any hunting near Dallas?

[AdamFuzzyballs]

Hey y'all!
I have been living in the Dallas area for almost a year now, and to be honest it's taken a lot for me to get accustomed to the "city life". I grew up in East Texas, on the Arkansas border, and never had a shortage of shooting/ hunting opportunities. I hunted deer mostly, but also small game or even nuisance animals. What I can harvest for food I do, I don't wastefully kill.
Well, I live here now, and the hunting itch has been driving me crazy lately. I kept telling myself I'd be able to find a farmer or rancher to let me hunt some hogs or coyotes or something for a lesser fee (or sharing the meat), but apparently that's a fantasy around here.
So, I figured I try asking Bladeforums and see if anybody has any suggestions for free or cheap hunting in this area!? I hunt wth rifle or bow, and honestly I am open to any game. Like I said, if it's something you can eat, I probably will
I know it's probably a far stretch, but thanks for any help!!

 

[22-rimfire]

I hunted every year UNTIL I moved to Dallas. As you know Texas is different especially about trespassing. If you aren't invited or don't own it you're trespassing. I once got yelled at by a land owner just for turning around on his property along a county road (farm road). It rubbed me wrong but I kept my mouth shut.

I would personally look to your roots and the places you have already hunted for the future. Driving to East Texas is not hard from Dallas.

I was invited to hunt on a couple high fence properties in South Texas and always turned the landowner down. It just felt wrong to me at the time. Now, I wish I would have taken them up on the offer.

I now live in Tennessee. The lease thing has taken hold here as well and for the most part, you need to be a member of a club or have a lease. I haven't hunted deer in about 5 years now. I have hunted here and been successful. I am totally unwilling to pay $1000 to hunt deer. It just isn't worth it.

 

[AdamFuzzyballs]

Yeah that's my feeling about it. We lease hunt in East Texas, and I've just about given up hope of finding a place closer to hunt. It's just too expensive!

I hunted every year UNTIL I moved to Dallas. As you know Texas is different especially about trespassing. If you aren't invited or don't own it you're trespassing. I once got yelled at by a land owner just for turning around on his property along a county road (farm road). It rubbed me wrong but I kept my mouth shut.

I would personally look to your roots and the places you have already hunted for the future. Driving to East Texas is not hard from Dallas.

I was invited to hunt on a couple high fence properties in South Texas and always turned the landowner down. It just felt wrong to me at the time. Now, I wish I would have taken them up on the offer.

I now live in Tennessee. The lease thing has taken hold here as well and for the most part, you need to be a member of a club or have a lease. I haven't hunted deer in about 5 years now. I have hunted here and been successful. I am totally unwilling to pay $1000 to hunt deer. It just isn't worth it.

,

 

[kvaughn]

The LBJ National Grasslands north of Decatur used to allow small game and bird hunting. That was 30 yrs ago though. There is some day lease/ pay by the gun situations west of Ft Worth in Parker, Palo Pinto and Stephens county but they can be expensive.--KV

 

[PlanoDano]

If you use a bow and got some skill you can fill deer tags on public land reasonably close to DFW.
Take a look at the map booklet https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/public/annual_public_hunting/
Also Corps of Engineers allow hunting around some of the reservoirs look for the US Army Corps on Engineers on the internet.
Lake Whitney has a good Deer population (archery only).
Finally there is LBJ/Caddo national grasslands https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/texas/about-forest/districts/?cid=fswdev3_008440